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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25358014">if only you knew.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxille/pseuds/church_of_natsume'>church_of_natsume (maxille)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Angst, Character Study, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Kiryuu's Father and Mother mentioned, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Not Canon Compliant, Teacher AU, Teacher Hasumi Keito, unbetaed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:35:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,966</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25358014</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxille/pseuds/church_of_natsume</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hasumi's new teaching job results in a run-in with a rather scary man. Said run-in would eventually turn into something much, much more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hasumi Keito/Kiryuu Kurou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>if only you knew.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Good morning, class. My name is Hasumi-senpai. I will be your teacher. Let’s all have a good year, yes?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi didn’t get nervous. Not when his Student Council position required him to speak during assemblies. Not during his final exams. Not while accepting his diploma and graduating from the university he’d worked so hard to get into. The feeling was foreign to him; something he’d never felt before.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Until now, that was. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi was finally teaching his very own class. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He’d worked at Yumenosaki Middle for years now. He’d done his fair share of substitute teaching, even filling in for months at a time on occasion. But this year, he’d been assigned a class of his own. And despite having taught hundreds of children in the past, his nerves never ceased to get the better of him. The thought was laughable, really; his heart jumped out of his chest at the mere thought of doing something he’d done almost every day for the past few years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi recognized most of the kids in his class. He was teaching eighth-graders, meaning he had taught or at least passed most of them once or twice. But one girl caught his eye; she’d taken a seat in the back corner of the room, surrounded by nobody. She stared absentmindedly out the window, occasionally looking down to doodle something on her workbook. Hasumi assumed she was new, given how lonely she looked. New or not, her idleness wasn’t appreciated.</p><p> </p><p>He scanned his attendance papers, trying to put a name to face in his head. The girl's name was...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu.</p><p> </p><p>        ”Kiryu-kun. Please pay attention. I won’t have you defacing your notes like that.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His command caught the girl off guard, pulling her out of her thoughts. Her pencil slipped from her hand, sliding off the desk and onto the floor. She muttered a whisper-soft apology, leaning down to pick up her pencil. Hasumi pondered for a moment longer, before turning around and continuing the lesson.</p>
<hr/><p>The first half of the school term went off without a hitch. Hasumi was quick to adapt to his new schedule, though he’d be lying if he said waking up to teach every day was an easy change. He had become familiar with his students, and if he were allowed to brag, he’d say his students had come to like him. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Although he could almost say that with almost 100 percent certainty, there was still one issue that had proved time and time again to be troublesome.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu continued to sit in the corner of the room by her lonesome, paying no mind to Hasumi’s lessons and instead focusing on whatever she felt like drawing, much to Hasumi’s chagrin. Time and time again he’d told her to pay attention, and although she did, it was never for long.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi had spoken to her about it multiple times. He’d asked her if she was ok, how things were at home or if she needed private lessons to catch up. But she’d always respond with the same quiet, <em>”I’m fine,” </em>leaving Hasumi no option but to walk away and press the matter further some other time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi told himself he wouldn’t delve too deep into her personal life. Perhaps she just didn’t want to tell him, and that was her choice to make. But his curiosity was just itching to know what was going on. After a moment of debate in his head, he decided to bite the bullet and search her name in the school’s system. He told himself it was all in the endeavor of the girl's education, but it didn’t make him feel any less dirty.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The search didn’t bring up anything of use, much to Hasumi’s dismay. All he found was a mobile number and an email address, presumably belonging to her parents. Just as he was about to give up, he had an idea. Any good teacher would surely want the best for their student, right? If Hasumi wanted to get to the root of the issue, what better place to start than the girl's parents? Prodding at the issue probably wasn’t the best idea, but if it were creating a wall between the girl and her education, things would have to be done. Hasumi punched in the email address and began to compose a message.</p><p> </p><p>         <em>To Mr/Ms. Kiryu,</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>          My name is Hasumi Keito. I am teaching your daughter this year. I regret to inform you that she has consistently been off task in class and instead prefers to draw or stare out the window, going as far as to not stop when told. I have questioned her myself, but it seems she is not willing to talk.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It is not my place to prod into her personal life, but it is my job to make sure she gets the most out of her education. Please approach her and resolve the issue. If push comes to shove, I am willing to meet with you to discuss the matter further. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Regards,  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>  Hasumi Keito. </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Send. </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After a nod of approval, Hasumi shut the lid of his laptop. Communication was the key to solving any issue, a phrase his professor would often recite during his university years. Hopefully, Kiryu’s parents would take initiative and everything would be fine.</p>
<hr/><p>Kiryu’s parents did not take initiative.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi wasn’t even sure they’d received his email in the first place. If they had, they certainly didn’t pay it any mind, as Kiryu continued to lose focus, and Hasumi continued to lose patience. He could nag and complain all he wanted; the girl was <em>incorrigible.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi found it difficult to believe her parents hadn’t once checked their emails over the past week. He’d glance up at his inbox now and then to check for a reply, but nothing ever came. It was frustrating, even more so considering he couldn’t do anything about it.</p><p>He’d vented about it to his coworkers, none of which were able to give him any useful advice. That was another issue he had; being the youngest of the teachers meant he was babied a lot and treated as if he weren’t one of them. Each time he heard one of them say <em>”Just do your best!” </em>he had to fight the urge to rip his hair out. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It didn’t help that he soon had to submit grades for moderation. Kiryu had shown little to no markable work thus far. Had this been an art class, she would’ve passed with flying colors, but that simply wasn’t the case. Hasumi knew this was the final straw; it was time to take desperate measures. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As the class approached its mid-point, Hasumi approached Kiryu, who, to no one’s surprise, was sketching on an empty page. Hasumi gritted his teeth; he’d tried all he could to get her back on track, but his efforts proved to be in vain. He tapped on her desk twice. Once he’d grabbed her attention, he put on his most intimidating face.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         <em>”Meet me after class.”</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi walked away before the girl could respond, not wanting to deal with any of the excuses she’d inevitably throw at him. Enough was enough; no amount of chastising could ever change her. He’d have to have a serious talk with her regarding her education.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The tune indicating the end of the day rung, faster than Hasumi would have liked. He still wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to say or what approach he’d take; should he yell, or console her? He was so caught up in his thoughts he almost missed Kiryu trying to leave amidst the crowd.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Kiryu. Come here.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl flinches, sighs, and saunters over to Hasumi’s desk. She takes a seat and immediately pulls out a phone, and Hasumi almost loses it then and there.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Get off your phone while I’m talking. You shouldn’t even have it on you during class.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi somehow kept his composure and watched as the girl put the phone down onto her leg. They shared a brief moment of silence, neither of them wanting to be the first to speak. Hasumi was a teacher, this shouldn’t be as hard as it is.</p><p> </p><p>         </p><p>         ”You know why I wanted to see you.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The girl still says nothing, only giving Hasumi the blankest stare he’s ever seen. He wouldn’t lie, it was a bit menacing, borderline condescending, but to get his point across, he needed to stay calm.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”You know I don’t harass you about this because I want to annoy you, right? I’m just trying to do what’s best for you.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Another stare. Hasumi waited for her response, but it never came. Why was she being so difficult?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Listen. I didn’t want to have to play this card, but if you’re going to keep this up, I’ll have to-”</p><p> </p><p>Hasumi’s lecture was interrupted by the door being shoved open. Both Kiryu and Hasumi looked up, the latter’s heart racing from the sudden sound. What kind of brute...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”We’re leaving, now.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi was at a loss for words. He stood up and approached the man. He only realized how much of a height disadvantage he was at as he got closer, but that did nothing to deter him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”You have some nerve, thinking you can burst into <em>my </em>classroom and whisk her away like that. Thanks to your poor parenting skills, all she’s been doing is drawing and staring out the window!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That seemed to get to the man. He took another step towards Hasumi, noses almost touching.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”I’m not her dad. She doesn’t have a dad. I’m her older brother.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> What? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Hasumi couldn’t put into words how mortified he felt. Everything made sense now. The lack of contact and unanswered emails. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together; this girl had no parents, only her older brother.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The older Kiryu forcefully grabbed his sister by the wrist and made his way to the door. Hasumi could recollect his thoughts later; right now, he had to get himself out of this mess.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Ah, wait, Kiryu. I’m sorry, it was a major mistake on my part. Could I please just have a moment of your time? I’d like to discuss-”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”We won’t be discussing <em>anything.”</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>And with a slam of the door, the two were gone, leaving a bewildered Hasumi with a big mess to clean up.</p>
<hr/><p>Needless to say, Hasumi wasn’t looking forward to class the next day. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to face Kiryu after yesterday’s little <em>incident. </em>Now that he knew what had happened, he felt stupid for not considering it beforehand. Hell, while he was at it, he probably made things harder for Kiryu herself.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The bell scared Hasumi more than it should have. He stayed alert as he watched his students file into their seats, mentally crossing his fingers in hopes that Kiryu had gotten sick overnight. But alas, she walked through the door, fit as a fiddle. Except, she didn’t walk to her seat. No, she was walking right towards Hasumi.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Immediately, he assumed the worse. Even though she was young, she was related to <em>him. </em>Any relative of that guy probably knew more than one means of combat. He braced for impact, but all he got was a carefully folded note placed in front of him. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi breathed a sigh of relief, adjusting his glasses that had fallen during his distress. He was careful when unfolding the paper, not wanting to tear it and make a bigger fool of himself. On the paper was a letter, written with beautiful penmanship.</p><p>         </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>          Dear Hasumi-senpai, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I apologize for not putting in effort this term. As you heard from my brother yesterday, my parents have passed away. As you can expect, I’m going through a lot right now, but I know that’s not an excuse. I’ll be sure to put in much more effort for the remainder of the semester. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>          Kiryu </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Although he’d already been able to fill in the gaps, the letter was still heart-wrenching. Hasumi had completely misjudged the situation and had made a fool out of not only himself but one of his students as well. He was just glad that the Kiryu’s had (supposedly) forgiven him. He smiled and glanced up at the girl.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Well, wasn’t that a sight for sore eyes.</p><p>She was talking to a classmate. This was the first time Hasumi had seen her interact with anyone. It was touching. Not that he could take all of the credit; the older Kiryu must’ve said something after their dispute yesterday. Maybe he wasn’t as bad a guy as Hasumi thought.</p>
<hr/><p>Although the term was over, Hasumi’s duties as a teacher still had quite a ways to go. Marking exams was the bane of any teacher’s existence, but it had to be done. He hadn’t even gotten halfway through his mountain-high stack of papers when he’d decided that there were many places he’d rather be than a staff room filled with teacher’s rambling on and on about topics that Hasumi couldn’t care less about. Picking up his papers, he quietly slid out of the room.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There was a café he liked to go whenever he had free time, but unfortunately it had closed down due to the owner filing for bankruptcy. He hadn’t looked into finding a new place just yet, but where better to start than the one a few blocks down from his workplace?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was a quaint little place; not too busy but not void of people either. It had a nice vibe to it, Hasumi noted. But the minute he stepped foot in the door, regret washed over him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At the register was none other than Kiryu. The older one, mind you.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He hadn’t noticed him yet. It would be easy to sneak out and avoid any needless confrontation, especially in a public setting. God, when did Hasumi get this unlucky? No matter, he’d just turn around now.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Ah, Good afternoon.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi cringed. No turning back now. He muttered a greeting in reply to the waiter (who, thankfully, was not Kiryu, who was still unaware of Hasumi’s presence), a took a seat in the corner. He chastised himself for even considering something so unprofessional. They were both adults. If he wanted to say something, they’d talk it out. Beside, Kiryu wouldn’t punch anyone at his workplace.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi tried to mark to get his mind off things, but it didn’t work. Had Kiryu noticed him yet? He wanted to order, but what if Kiryu was the one who took it? Hasumi didn’t like jumping to conclusions, but after his and Kiryu’s little spat yesterday, he felt like that’s all he could do.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Hasumi.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi tensed up. This was it for him. He was about to have his ass handed to him in front of all these people, and then some. Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned his head to look up at the man.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”You looked stressed. It’s on me, don’t worry.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu carefully placed a mug beside his papers. Of all the ways Kiryu could’ve reacted to this situation, this was one of the last things Hasumi was expecting. They held a stare for an uncomfortable amount of time before both of them tried to speak simultaneously. They laughed awkwardly, Hasumi gesturing for Kiryu to go first.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”My sis seems happier.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Another awkward laugh from Hasumi.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”That’s... good. Not that I had anything to do with that.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He may have mumbled that last part a little bit. They shared another moment in silence.</p><p> </p><p>         ”Listen, Hasumi. We got off on the wrong foot yesterday. You don’t seem like that bad of a guy, but when it comes to my lil’ sister I can get a little protective.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”No, no. I get it. The way I acted was unprofessional and wrong, and I apologize for that. Thank you for talking to her, she’s improved tremendously.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu glanced around before taking the seat across from Hasumi.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”About that... do you think I could...”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu gestured at the papers. Hasumi thought it was only fair, given the way he’d treated the Kiryu siblings.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”By all means.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He looked through his stack of marked papers and handed Kiryu his sisters. Technically, he wasn’t allowed to show test results like that, but he figured it’d stay their little secret. The way Kiryu reacted to the paper led Hasumi to believe he was more than happy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Ah, thank you. Oh, I didn’t know how you liked your coffee. You seem like a black-coffee kind of guy, though.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu was right on the money. Hasumi took a sip, and to his surprise, it was exactly the way he liked it. With a smile, Kiryu left his table and went back to the register. Hasumi stared in disbelief for a moment. He had to wonder; despite everything Hasumi had put him through, how could Kiryu be so hospitable?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu definitely wasn’t as bad a guy as Hasumi thought.</p>
<hr/><p>Over the break, Hasumi made a habit out of visiting Kiryu at his workplace at least once a day. Kiryu, as well as making great coffee, was always up for a chat. Hasumi found it ironic that he now looked forward to seeing the man he once feared.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was quite late when Hasumi finally got out of work. He’d assumed that with no students to teach, working during the break would be a breeze, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Regardless, he hadn’t had a coffee all day, so he figured he could make it to his favorite café right before closing time to indulge himself.</p><p>He was relieved to find the lights still on, insinuating it was indeed still open. Once he stepped inside, however, he found no one at the counter and no patrons sitting in the seats. He could tell they were still open, however, as soft jazz music was still echoing throughout the vacant building. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He slowly approached the counter, tapping the bell that sat beside the register. He heard a small gasp from the back room, followed by footsteps coming towards him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Ah, evening, Hasumi.”</p><p> </p><p>Hasumi smiled when Kiryu approached the counter. It seemed he was just about to close up, as he was no longer wearing his apron.</p><p> </p><p>         ”Good evening. Were you about to close? Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Yeah, but I can do one more, for you. Just the usual?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi nodded. There was something oddly gratifying about a barista knowing your order of the top of their head. Kiryu took Hasumi’s money and insisted he have a seat.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi couldn’t help but stare in awe at how professionally Kiryu worked the machine. Surely he’d been doing it for years; Hasumi hadn’t seen anybody make beverages as efficiently as Kiryu. It was almost like magic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”You alright, Hasumi? Yer staring.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Ah, my apologies. I was just admiring the way you work.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Aw, shucks. It’s nothing special. Been doin’ it for years, now.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi sipped his coffee as he and Kiryu sat in comfortable silence. If you had asked him a couple of weeks ago, Hasumi would’ve said he was terrified of Kiryu. But now, he’d take time out of his otherwise busy day to go see him. It was astonishing how fast their friendship had evolved.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”If you don’t have any plans for tonight, could I treat ya to a few drinks?”</p><p> </p><p>         ”No, I couldn’t possibly ask that of you.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Nah, don’t worry about it. ‘Sides, I want to get to know you more. C’mon, just a few?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu’s offer was enticing; Hasumi had nowhere to be the next day, so in the end, he bit the bullet and accepted. Kiryu had a point; it would be nice to get to know each other more.</p>
<hr/><p>The bar Kiryu brought Hasumi to was surprisingly quiet, given how close it was to midnight. Not that Hasumi minded; he’d accepted Kiryu’s offer aware of the risk of being surrounded by drunk partygoers. All that mattered to him was getting to know his new friend more, the lack of people was just another win.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He and Kiryu talked for the better half of the evening, Kiryu buying another round of shots every half hour. Hasumi insisted he’d at least pay for some, but Kiryu wasn’t budging. <em>”Money burning a hole in my pocket,” </em>he said. Incorrigible.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Alright, alright... my turn.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>At some point, Kiryu had suggested they play a drinking game of truth. Something sober Hasumi would’ve immediately turned down, but tipsy Hasumi was a little intrigued. He had to admit, it was a great way to get to know each other, albeit a scary one. Kiryu had gotten Hasumi to admit some things he wouldn’t tell anyone he’d only met a few weeks ago. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”What’s yer weirdest kink?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hausmi almost gagged.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Incorrigible, Kiryu!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”You can either answer or drink up, I don’t mind.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Well... I’ve never...”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu’s face morphed into one of disbelief.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”No. You’re kiddin’, right?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Had Hasumi been sober, he probably would’ve slapped Kiryu across the face for asking such invasive questions. But instead, he decided to continue with the topic of virginity despite its embarrassing undertones.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Kiryu, I’m only 23. You can’t expect too much from me.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu chuckled, which annoyed Hasumi for some reason. </p><p> </p><p>         ”I s’pose. ‘S just that you’re attractive... kinda surprised nobody’s ever made any advances on ya. Or perhaps you’re just too shy.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi felt his face heat up. What was with Kiryu calling him attractive? The buffoon had drunk too much. Hasumi had also had his fair share of alcohol that night; more than he’d ever drunk before.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”I think you’ve had enough, Kiryu. Me too. I’ll call you a taxi.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu smirked, reaching his hand out and placing it on Hasumi’s thigh.</p><p>         ”Nah, the night’s still young. Whaddya say... I’ll be yer first?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Yes, Kiryu had definitely had too much to drink. Hasumi was too stunned to speak. Kiryu wore a grin of dirty intentions, and drunk Hasumi would be lying if he said he wasn’t into it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Kiryu, that’s quite enough. It’s high time we call it a night, your sister will be waiting for you.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Nah, she’ll be alright. I think we should head back to your place.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu emphasized his point by giving Hasumi’s leg a tight squeeze. Hasumi was a flustered mess at this point. He wanted to believe the reason he was even <em>considering </em>taking Kiryu up on his offer was the alcohol, but it was probably because his feelings for Kiryu had exceeded being purely platonic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Hah... fine. Just keep your hands off of me while I’m driving.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu was smiling again, another face that got under Hasumi’s skin. It was beyond him how Kiryu could be so nonchalant about all this. Even just talking about his sex life was enough to make Hasumi’s skin crawl.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi led Kiryu to his car, ushering him into the passenger seat. He tried to find a reason to turn back on his decision, but the closer they got to Hasumi’s apartment, the more jittery he became. There was no doubt that Kiryu was incredibly attractive; the fact that Kiryu was even giving Hasumi the time of day was astounding. </p>
<hr/><p>Hasumi had seen these kinds of things before on television or in manga. Whenever the couple returned home, they’d share a tender moment before getting to business. Hasumi had expected this, but needless to say, that is not what happened.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The minute both of them were through the door, Kiryu had pinned Hasumi against it. Their lips clashed messily, their intoxication and Hasumi’s inexperience combined to make the embrace even more heated. Hasumi used what little common sense he had left to push Kiryu off of him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”No... I can’t do this, Kiryu. Your one of my student's carers, it wouldn’t be right...”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Shut it, Hasumi. You and I both know you want this as much as I do.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As much as Hasumi hated to admit it, Kiryu wasn’t wrong. Maybe sober Hasumi would’ve been a little more adamant, but right now, drunk Hasumi wanted Kiryu.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Fine. Not here, though... my bedroom.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It seemed everything that had happened regarding their relationship had led up to this moment. How such an unfriendly greeting had escalated into something so intimate was beyond Hasumi. Even though such immoral deeds felt so wrong (worsened by the fact that it was with the relative of one of his students), it still felt so, so right. Right now, Hasumi wanted this. Hasumi wanted Kiryu.</p>
<hr/><p>The first thing Hasumi noticed when he woke up was that he was entangled in a forest of limbs. Not even the splitting headache was enough to make him forget last night's events. He glanced up at his paramour, who slept soundly with his mouth wide open. Hasumi couldn’t help but smile at the sight.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He tried to stand up, but that only made his headache worse. He wasn’t used to drinking so much. He walked to his kitchen cabinet and pulled out a packet of painkillers. He made a mental note to leave one for Kiryu too.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next thing Hasumi noticed was how bad he smelt. He didn’t remember things getting so heated, but then again the mere thought of Kiryu made his mind hazy. He wouldn’t want to wake Kiryu by taking a shower though (that’s what Hasumi told himself; he just didn’t want to face Kiryu yet). He decided on taking a short walk to get his mind off things. Before he left, he made Kiryu a cup of coffee and put it beside a capsule of painkillers. He tore a piece of notepaper and scribbled something down:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I’ve gone out. Lock the door when you leave, please. </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He debated ending his message with a small heart but in the end, decided against it and stuck the note underneath the mug without another thought. Satisfied with his work, he stepped outside. And only then had last night's events sunk in.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Oh god.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi slept with the older brother of one of his students.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Multiple times.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He tried to internalize his panic as best he could, but that was difficult. If anyone so much as heard rumors about this, he’d lose his job on the spot, and Kiryu would probably face heavy repercussions too. What had Hasumi done?</p>
<hr/><p>Hasumi tried his best to avoid the coffee shop in the following weeks.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He could barely feel safe going to work. Even though he knew what had happened that night would stay between them; he couldn’t help but feel like everyone’s eyes were on him. He wondered how Kiryu was feeling. Hasumi rolled his eyes. Knowing the meat-head, he’d probably been in ecstasy these past few days. He tended to get excited over the smallest of things.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi definitely could’ve avoided the café for the rest of his life. Nothing was stopping him from never setting foot in the building ever again. But alas, like a moth to a flame, he found himself back there. He told himself it was all in the name of good coffee, but he knew that was a lie. It was wrong of him to leave Kiryu in the dark like this. He had to clear things up, whether he wanted to or not.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hasumi and Kiryu were drunk that night. It was in the heat of the moment; it was all emotionless sex. Hasumi knew a relationship between him and Kiryu would be forbidden. Not that it mattered; he didn’t want one. He didn’t want one.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He didn’t want one.</p>
<hr/><p>Hasumi didn’t mean to grit his teeth as he walked through the door. As expected, Kiryu was working the register, as he did every Thursday afternoon. He hadn’t noticed Hasumi yet; it reminded him a lot of the first time he’d visited the café, under much different circumstances. Like last time, he could turn around to leave and put this all behind him. But unlike last time, he knew he didn’t have a choice.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He begrudgingly took a seat in his usual spot, fingers tapping nervously against his knee. What would Kiryu say? Would he be mad Hasumi had left him? Would he be the first to point out how unprofessional a relationship would be? Hasumi couldn’t stop thinking about all the outcomes this conversation could have.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Ah, Hasumi. Long time no see. I was beginning to think ya hated me.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Kiryu’s small chuckle brought warmth to Hasumi’s cheeks. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Apologies, Kiryu. I didn’t mean to leave you in the dark for so long.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Well, after everything that happened, I don’t blame you for being a little embarrassed.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em> I’m not embarrassed,  </em>he felt like saying. Embarrassed wasn’t the right word, per se; maybe just a little flustered.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Kiryu, I’ll get straight to the-”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”No, don’t. Let me go first. Please.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>No. This isn’t how this was supposed to go.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”That night... it was...”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Emotionless. It meant nothing. No feelings were involved. It was <em>the alcohol.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”I’ve never felt so much for someone in my life, Hasumi. Let me take you on a real date... please.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>No. This was not happening. Out of all the possible outcomes, this was the last thing Hasumi expected. Where did such a confession even come from? Surely saying, <em>”I’ve never felt this much before,”</em> to someone you met mere weeks ago was stretching the truth. It didn’t matter, though; he didn’t feel anything. Even if he did, it would be unprofessional and immoral. Nothing good could come from this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So, why?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Why was Hasumi even considering accepting? Why was he risking his job just for some relationship he wasn’t even sure would work out? He couldn’t for the life of him figure it out.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Maybe, some questions were better left unanswered.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>         ”Ok,”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Of all the words in the Japanese language, none could be used to describe the smile that illuminated Kiryu’s face.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello<br/>I've been working on this for about 3 weeks now. this obviously isn't complete, and the second chapter is in the works. People wouldn't be too interested in a single chapter 10,000 word fic, so I decided to split it up. I love this AU so much and I'm proud of all the ideas I came up with surrounding it. I hope you enjoyed it!<br/>Follow my enstars spam account @spanish.natsume !</p></blockquote></div></div>
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